Romeo & Juliet: Alternate Ending
by EmilyHelene
Summary: While reading the book even though I was in love with the ending, I wanted to try my hand at writing a new one. It was also a school assignment. Read & Review, please! SHAKESPEAREAN LANGUAGE. Also, meet Rosaline, she plays a significant role. Enjoy!


**A/N: Emily: For those of you who didn't read the summary, or key into the Shakespearean line, this story is written in the same style as Romeo and Juliet, the original play was. Basically, it means that it is like a script, and uses words that may be unfamiliar to all audiences. Thanks for reading!**

William Shakespeare's

Romeo and Juliet

Alternate Ending

**Act V, Scene 3 (continuation) **

_The Same. A churchyard; in it a monument belonging to the Capulets._

**FRIAR: **I hear some noise, Lady come from that nest

Of death, contagion and unnatural sleep.

A greater power than we can contradict

Hath thwarted our intents. Come, come away.

Thy husband in thy bosom there lies dead;

And Paris, too. Come, I'll dispose of thee

Among a sisterhood of holy nuns.

Stay not to question, for the watch is coming.

Come, go, good Juliet. I dare no longer stay.

**JULIET: **Go thee, hence. I will not away.

**FRIAR: **But my Lady. A life yonder through the golden gates of heaven be not what your Lord, Fair, Romeo hath desire for his loving wife. Live thy life how he surely would have, had he been granted the opportunity by the Lord to subsist. Long since passed, is his time but yours will carry on as long as thee do will it so.

**JULIET: **_**[**__sighs]_ Then taketh me in silence. For I ne'er wish to see my Lady mother nor father again. And my beloved's father, I never wish to see the pain and agony in his eyes. Sorrow over comes me and dark storm clouds encircle my head like thoughts, raining down upon me and pooling in my heart.

**FRIAR: **And what, child, do thee pray I tell them?

**JULIET: **Kind sir, the truth.

**FRIAR: **I solely promise so to do. Now, come. We must hurry to the monastery under the cloak of night tide.

**JULIET: **Tell them, tell them I am overcome with sadness and an audience with them 'tis not the way to end such despair and pain. I will become chaste, lead the life thou could not envision for it is all I have left.

**FRIAR: **Come away, child. Seek thou's new fate.

**JULIET: **_**[**__sadly]_ By and by, I come.

_She bends her head to kiss ROMEO one last time. _

** JULIET: **Soon, my love, we will be united. I will it so.

**GUARD 1: _[_**_spots JULIET]_ You there!

**FRIAR: **Use night as our shield, travelling through the shadows of night our hearts filled with a new sense of hope.

_JULIET and FRIAR LAURENCE leave through the rear exit of the Capulet Vault, escaping into the night._

**Act V, Scene 4**

_Verona. The Next. A monastery; Juliet's cell._

_[JULIET enters, alone seated on a bed by the window holding a bible.]_

** JULIET: **Wherefore, art thou Romeo? He who promised to protect my young heart and hold it so dearly. He indeed promised never would he release me from his care. Well, Romeo's promise hath been fractured. For, he has brought sorrow, a great burden mine heart has not yet adapted to carrying, upon me.

**ELISABETH: **Sister Juliet! By the rise of daylight through the window's glass we prepare for morning prayer.

**JULIET: _[_**_sighs]_By and by, I come.

** ELISABETH: **What burden's your young heart so, Sister?

**JULIET: **The loss of a love. (She laughs) A forbidden love. Sweet and pure like a rose in bloom, though thorns protect it's beauty so. I am that of a rose, though, my thorns hath been removed by force.

**ELISABETH: **I must go wake the other sisters. May the lord be with you.

**JULIET: _[_**_quietly]_Alas, I wish I were with the Lord.

**ELISABETH: **Pardon, Sister? I heard not the words you spoke.

**JULIET: **'Tis nothing of value. My robes? Where might I find a pair to call mine own?

**ELISABETH: **The wardrobe, of course.

_She smooths out her dress and stands awkwardly in the centre of Juliet's chambers._

**JULIET: **Of course. Thank-you, sister.

_ELISABETH smiles and exits through a small wooden door to the left of JULIET's bed. JULIET pulls herself from her bed and approaches the wardrobe. From it, she pulls black robes. Around her neck is ROMEO's ring, attached to a chain. She begins to sob._

**JULIET: **O why, Romeo? Why not me! Oh, woe is me!

_JULIET tosses her robes on the ground and throws herself at her bed, sobbing for ROMEO and holding on to his necklace tightly._

**JULIET: **O, Romeo. Why did thou raise that vile of liquid death to thy lips, allowing breath to no longer pass through? 'Twas you who escaped without such a burden, leaving me alone to suffer in solitude. Why do you reap the pleasures of Heaven and leave me here in such lamentation on Earth? O, lamentable day! What's in a word? A word such as Earth? 'Tis more like a prison cell, in which I must wallow, tied down and unable to spread my wings and meet you in Heaven. Or perhaps this is that of an exile, where my soul doth now reside as punishment for my sins. But yet, aware of how I hath sinned, I am not. Could it be falling into passionate love that the Lord views as sin? For if it is, all should be punished! If exchanging my vows with Romeo was indeed my sin, I would sin again and again, fearing nothing. For all thy knows, it could be disobeying thy parents! I wish not to think of this for a moment more! O' Friar Laurence, good kind Friar. Why did you bring me here? I acknowledge that I hath agreed to this fate, but rather as a second option. Had I been allowed my first choice, I would be lying next to my beloved, lips cold and pulse frozen in bereavement. How I would take the pain of a thousand knives in thy bosom o'er the life I now live in chastity. Death would be a kind, kind alternative to this life I lead, drowning slowly day by day and night by night instead of just being done with it! O when will this bitter nightmare meet it's demise?

_Enter, ROSALINE, ROMEO'S first love outfitted in robes. She had been taking refuge in the shadows but at the mention of ROMEO, someone she knew and a name she recognized, she tracked the sound to discover who is sobbing over him. ROSALINE stands in the doorway and looks in on JULIET who is at least a year younger than she is. Juliet turns to pull herself together and venture to morning prayer when she looks up, spots ROSALINE and screams._

**JULIET: **Who art thou? And why do you listen in on my private council?

**ROSALINE: **I am Rosaline. 'Tis a pleasure to meet you.

**JULIET: **Thou is yet to answer my other query.

**ROSALINE: ** Doth thou speak of Romeo? Romeo Montague? Knew him well, did you not?

**JULIET: ** _[sighs]_ Knew and loved.

**ROSALINE: ** Loved, did you say? You speak of love?

**JULIET: ** That I do. In love, was I, with him at my side and I, his wife. Separated by mutiny, united by love. Our tale art brimming with tragedy.

**ROSALINE: **How it must feel to be in love. You must tell me, for, I know not of this love you speak of. You see, Romeo claimed to love me, but I only loved one, the Lord. My one love, the church. Love for one single person was never in my destiny.

**JULIET:** My sins have changed the stars, rearranging my destiny. But a sunset ago I was a happy bride. How blissfully unaware, I was.

**ROSALINE: ** _[sits on JULIET's bed.]_ Won't thou share with me thy story?

**JULIET: ** Perhaps I shall later. Morning prayer beckons you forward.

**ROSALINE: ** 'Tis true. I wish no disrespect to the Heavens. Aren't thou coming?

**JULIET: ** You run along. I shan't attend prayer this morn. I need rest and must be left alone. Give my apologies to Mother Gwendolyn.

**ROSALINE: **Of course.

_She walks timidly up to JULIET and hugs her swiftly before rushing away. JULIET closes the door behind ROSALINE and walks over to her desk. From a drawer she pulls a quill, fresh parchment and an ink pot. She sits and begins to write a letter._

**Act V, Scene 5**

_Verona. The Same. A monastery; JULIET's cell._

_ROSALINE knocks on JULIET's door. There is no answer. She opens it and walks into JULIET's room. She is not there._

** ROSALINE: **Juliet! Ho, Juliet! (whispers) Parchment? And wet ink, what? A letter.

_A letter sits out on JULIET's desk. It is for ROSALINE. She picks it up and reads it slowly._

** ROSALINE: ** (reading from the letter)

Dearest Rosaline,

How does one explain the landing of a lark on one's heart, so soft and gentle, yet weighted with pounding velvet hand? It is not for I to describe this veil upon me, smitten like a venom from the asp. Forsooth, say I having tasted the wines of love forbidden and then to have lost that same love through the ravings of deceit, a love found and lost in but that single breath. In despair, I temper my fate and ponder it like the owl ponders a darkened meadow, listening intently for its next victim. Am I to be the mouse, or the predator on haunted evening wind? It is with heavy heart, that I beseech you to honour what was I once was and ne'er to be again. This babbling brook hath run its course to leave but a dried and scaly bed only worthy to be remembered by the love that once flowed. I bid thee farewell, dearest Rosaline.

Sincerely,

Juliet

**ROSALINE: **Juliet!

_ROSALINE runs in a blind panic down the hallway, searching for JULIET. On her way down a corridor, she collides with SISTER ANASTASIA. _

**SISTER **

** ANASTASIA: **Rosaline! Anon, what is the purpose of thy haste?

**ROSALINE: ** Juliet! Juliet! I shan't stop, Sister!

_ROSALINE runs to the end of the corridor, finally reaches the sanctuary doors._

** ROSALINE: **JULIET!

_JULIET stands before a large Crucifix. _

**JULIET: **Oh wicked fate, I curse thee! That I, Juliet, wife of Romeo lost, must travel this darkened path to again see the light of my love. O, Romeo, Romeo where for art thou now, sweet Romeo? Your name so sweet upon my lips, your face still warm upon my bosom. I lift this dagger, this blade of bitter pain and sweet deliverance, to use, to again join the pieces of my heart, shattered as the ice from great heights, fallen. O, Romeo, my love, my life where I come hither to thee in haste. Patience my love for but only a few grains of sand are left in the hourglass of fate where, once again, we'll be one!

_ROSALINE runs towards the alter where JULIET has raised her arms, grasping the dagger with both hands, screaming for her to stop._

**ROSALINE: **No Juliet! I beseech thee to stop and beg reason!

_JULIET turns away from the altar and plunges the dagger deeply into her chest and lets out a small yelp and looks at ROSALINE._

** JULIET: [**_gasping] _O, dearest Rosaline, my reason and life is fulfilled, carry my heart and memory in honour.

_JULIET slowly steps back, wavering and rests her lower back against the alter with her arms spread out with only the hilt of the dagger glinting in the sunlight of the morning coming through the window. She uses her last strength to lift herself on the alter and lies back, again, arms spread, mirroring the large crucifix on the wall above and behind her. ROSALINE reaches her and cradles her head from beside the alter, JULIET looks up at ROSALINE and with a small smile, whispers:_

** JULIET: **Alas, sweet Rosaline, tears not for me. My heart is gladdened for soon, my Romeo will be holding me, just as thou art this final moment. Fare thee well my new and treasured sister, fare thee well.

_With that, JULIET takes a last and gentle breath as her life ebbs from her now limp body, she dies. ROSALINE, sobbing, reaches down, pulls out the dagger and takes JULIET in her arms feeling the warmth leave her slowly..._

** ROSALINE: **O poor and sweet child, fate hath been unkind to thee. Take now your eternal sleep, find thee your Romeo and peace upon both of you, love forevermore.

**THE END**

**A/N: I thought I stayed pretty true to Juliet. Agree, disagree? Tell me in a review or PM. Hope you liked it! If you did, could you please click that little button at the bottom of your screen and tell me what you liked most about it? Thank you so much. If you have some CC, please feel free to send that to me via PM (private message for all the newbies) or reviews?  
**


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